Oilers captain Connor McDavid puts the NHL on notice with fiery warning after series win vs Golden Knights

The Edmonton Oilers made lightwork of the Vegas Golden Knights, eliminating them by a 4-1 series victory in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinal stage. Following the 1-0 overtime triumph in Game 5, Oilers captain Connor McDavid dropped a fiery reminder to the rest of the NHL, in case they aren’t familiar with Edmonton’s game.

The Oilers are once again in the Western Conference Final, just eight wins away from the franchise’s sixth Stanley Cup. Edmonton has reached this stage in three of their last four NHL seasons, proving McDavid and company’s success in the postseason, though they are still searching for their first Cup and ring.

McDavid has been chewing on the heartcrushing Game 7 defeat during last year’s Cup Final, determined to avenge that loss. However, that is still a longer way down the road, him and the Oilers will first need to take down either the Winnipeg Jets or Dallas Stars in the Conference Final.

After knocking out the Golden Knights in five games—including three road wins in Sin City—confidence is sky-high in the Oilers’ locker room. So much so that McDavid issued a bold warning to every remaining team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the first period in Game One of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

“We can play that way, we can score goals, whatever it takes, we can win games,” Connor McDavid stated, via NHL.com. “We can defend, we can, we’ve shown that time and time again. We came into a tough building and won a 1-0 game and that’s what matters most.”

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Don’t be bamboozled

While the Oilers boast, arguably, the best duo in the NHL in McDavid and Draisaitl, they have an overall outstanding roster around them, which tends to be overlooked and comes back to bite opponents.

In the past, Edmonton’s lineup was characterized by the lopsided difference whenever McDavid and Draisaitl were on the bench, but that’s no longer the case. Obviously, the two stars are always on the ice during the biggest moments, but their teammates have provided critical goals time and again during the postseason.

Hockey is the ultimate team sport: stars by themselves won’t be successful without talented teams surrounding them, and the Oilers have definitely learned their lesson.

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Full strength

The Oilers are firing on all cylinders, and every team left standing must now keep an eye on McDavid and company, who have punched their ticket to the Conference Final ahead of the pack. Edmonton now awaits the winner of the Dallas-Winnipeg series, with McDavid making it clear: the real grind begins when the Oilers walk into their building for Game 1.

Stuart Skinner, once the weakest link in Edmonton’s chain during the first round, has bounced back at full strength following Calvin Pickard’s injury. Now, he’s posted back-to-back shutouts to put the series against Vegas to bed and punch the Oilers’ ticket to the next round.

Stuart Skinner #74 of the Edmonton Oilers looks on from the bench against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period in Game Two of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

“Hopefully it shuts a lot of people up that were talking about him,” McDavid said postgame about Skinner’s performances since taking back the starting goaltender job.

This version of the Oilers is scary: a confident goaltender in net, a defense playing its best hockey, and an offense that needs no introduction. Any team in the league would hope for a different matchup, but the road offers no detours—if you want the Stanley Cup, you have to go through Edmonton.